Uber’s Lesson: Silicon Valley’s Startup Machine Needs Fixing
nytimes.com
nytimes.com
"Culture that creates wealth needs to change because one CEO resigned".
Because the finance industry is now perfect after the 2009 meltdown, so we can all look elsewhere, and the massive task of creating billions from nothing more than an idea and a culture of supplying capital to ideas that are not currently profitable is incredibly easy to do and replicate, and can be done by anyone anywhere /s (if that is needed).
This obviously doesn't exclude all the bad things that have happened, and his poor judgement, but there's some good along with the bad that we should look at, I think.
Anyway, I think Uber is largely done for with or without Travis. Maybe time will prove me wrong, but I fail to see, aside from "hey let's grab an Uber and the ubiquity of the term", Uber doesn't offer anything that can't be either easily replicated (Lyft or others), or is a difficult task that they are simply not the market leader in (autonomous vehicles) nor do they look to be in the future.
I don't foresee a very good future for the firm, either way. We'll see.
Bear in mind that no substantiated evidence was ever uncovered/disclosed by Susan Fowler's article. If the optics weren't so bad, she would probably be sued for libel, as one unsubstantiated article caused material harm to an ongoing business concern.
Regardless, indicting a whole business ecosystem based on one outlier seems like a reductive simplistic approach to things. The Waymo trade secret lawsuit is far more substantive than any uncorroborated sexual discrimination anecdote, but that doesn't get mentioned hardly at all because it doesn't fit in with the "silicon valley sexist" narrative.
Travis is a shitty human. He has shit morals. He created a culture that discriminated against women. He was the leader who was at the helm as Uber grew. Ultimately, he had the authority to change course: he chose not to. That is a massive part of his legacy. It is on par with everything he made at Uber.
Personally, I am glad he got fired and is being made an example. Tech has been an old boy's club for too long. I am sick and tired of dealing with immature, emotionally underdeveloped or emotionally absent, people in tech. One can be a brilliant, analytical, logical, computer nerd AND be emotionally present and responsible. Tech is becoming too important to be held back by childish behavior.
FWIW yes, I am in tech myself. I identify as a man, both gender and sex. I work at a startup in SF.
The fact that you are in tech doesnt mean much. Maybe youre a slacker who doesnt like the meritocratic culture.
I don't generally believe accusations of wrongdoing without evidence, just because they fit the cultural narrative about what's perceived as fucked up about tech.
Just as I wouldn't believe rape or murder accusations without proof, I am not willing to believe sexual harassment claims without proof.
Your statement is indicative of everything that's wrong with the current media circus. You assert that Travis is a shitty human, and you make the assumption that tech is already fucked up and that it's an old boys club. Baseless accusations backed up by neither reason nor logic? How are leveling these accusations without evidence being "emotionally present and responsible"? You taking such glee in the misfortunes of others tends to support my point, as this seems like a personal vendetta masquerading as virtual signaling.
I wasn't privy to the full conversation, because I do believe she escalated, had an e-mail conversation or two about it, generally made a stink (as well she should have). But I will put my professional reputation on the line: That happened. I have no reason to doubt, being in the same org at the same time, that the rest did not.